


The Princess in the Tower

by hquinzelle



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, F/M, Sleeping Beauty - Freeform, tasertricks - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-03
Updated: 2014-05-03
Packaged: 2018-01-21 17:47:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1558814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hquinzelle/pseuds/hquinzelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Tasertricks Fairy Tale (Sleeping Beauty AU).  Darcy and Loki are celebrating their engagement when the Enchantress shows up and casts a terrible curse on Darcy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story takes place post-Avengers, and discards Dark World.

Darcy Lewis tapped her foot under the table as she watched the dancers twirl around the ballroom, enjoying the sights and sounds of the party. She took a sip of her wine as Loki, who was sitting to her right, leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Patience, my dear - our first dance as an engaged couple will take place shortly.” He squeezed her hand and smiled at her before turning his attention to Jane, who had tapped him on the arm.

Darcy grinned to herself. “Engaged couple” – words she had almost began to despair she would ever hear in relation to her and Loki. He had just “popped the question” last week, when he had taken her on a day trip to Nidavellir and surprised her with an engagement ring that he had commissioned the dwarves to create for her.

If someone had told Darcy that she would fall in love with Loki six years ago, she would have laughed in their face. She had hated Loki the moment she first saw him when he had been brought back to earth by Thor after his trial and subsequent punishment in Asgard. Darcy had wanted nothing more than to smack that arrogant smirk off his face, but she had been forced into his company more than she liked over the next two years. Her best friend and boss, Jane, was engaged to Thor, and where Thor went, Loki had to follow as part of the terms of his punishment. She wasn’t sure exactly when it had happened, but her and Loki had begun to tolerate each other, becoming friends, and eventually, lovers. 

When Odin fell into the Odinsleep four years ago, a state in which he remained to this day, Thor had returned to Asgard to take his place as King of the Realm Eternal, taking Jane with him as his Queen. Loki had returned as well, and to her surprise and delight, brought Darcy with him. Loki acted as Thor’s advisor while Darcy acted as Jane’s sometimes intern, helping her with the science experiments that she still insisted on performing when not fulfilling her “Queenly duties”. Frigga oversaw it all, showing a brave face even as she kept up the hope that her husband would eventually wake up.

Darcy was startled out of her thoughts as Thor stood up, slamming his tankard of mead on the table. 

“My fellow Asgardians,” he said, “We are gathered here today to celebrate the engagement of my brother, Prince Loki, to the sister of my heart, Darcy Lewis of Midgard. Let us drink in celebration as they take their first dance as an engaged couple!” 

Loki groaned, and Darcy giggled. The crowd cheered, moving back to clear the dance floor so the couple would have room to move.

“Shall we?” Loki said, standing up. Darcy took his hand as he offered it to her. He bowed deeply and kissed her hand, smirking as she blushed. He began to lead her around the table to the dance floor when the ballroom suddenly lit up with a flash of green fire, causing Loki to stop suddenly. 

When the smoke cleared, a beautiful blond-haired green-eyed woman wearing green and gold stood in the middle of the room. 

“Stand back, you fools!” she said, grinning as the crowd automatically obeyed, moving further back from her. She enjoyed the attention for a moment before she focused her cold green eyes towards the royal family, specifically Darcy.

“Amora,” Loki said, pulling Darcy closer to him. 

Darcy saw Thor flexing his hand, getting ready to call for Mjolnir, but he stopped when Loki gave him a sharp look and shook his head.

“Loki,” Amora purred, stepping closer. “You had a party, and didn’t invite me.”

“The invitation must have gotten lost in the mail,” Loki said dryly.

Amora smirked at him as she said, “I just wanted to congratulate the happy couple - I want to bestow a gift upon the future bride.”

She paused for dramatic effect as a gasp rippled through the ballroom, then continued, “Listen well. Before the sun sets on the bride’s wedding night, she shall prick her finger – AND DIE!”

“I don’t think so,” Loki said, pushing Darcy behind him as he slowly inched closer to Amora, his hands and lips already moving as he began to cast a spell.

Amora laughed. “It is already done. You can’t stop it now.”

“Seize her!” Thor shouted, finally calling for his hammer. Guards began to pour into the room.

A green bolt streaked towards Amora as Loki finished casting his spell, but it hit nothing but air – the sorceress had already disappeared.

The ballroom was utterly, eerily, silent. All of the party-goers were looking at Darcy, a mixture of pity, despair, and fear on their faces. 

“I think that is enough excitement for tonight,” Jane said, breaking the silence. She moved to Darcy’s side, gripping her hand reassuringly. The crowd slowly left the ballroom, whispering amongst themselves. Thor spoke in low tones to the head of the Einherjar, gesturing towards the spot where Amora had stood. 

Loki turned to Darcy and grasped her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. “Are you alright?” he asked.

Darcy didn’t say anything, Amora’s laughter still echoing in her head.

“I promise you, Darcy, nothing will happen to you. I will protect you with my life, if necessary,” he said urgently, leaning down to brush his lips over hers.

Darcy let go of Jane’s hand and threw her arms around Loki, shivering slightly. He ran his fingers through her hair as he murmured reassurances into her ear.

“I’m scared,” she said.

Frigga, who was so quiet Darcy had almost forgotten she was there, moved forward, drawing everyone’s attention to her.

“Don’t despair, Darcy. I still have my gift to give,” she said.

“Can you undo Amora’s spell?” Loki asked.

“No,” Frigga said sadly, “but I can help.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy and Loki's wedding day.

Darcy paced back and forth in front of the mirror in her chambers, wringing her hands. It was her wedding day, which should have been the happiest day in her life…but instead, her stomach was filled with dread.

It had been exactly one year today since the fateful engagement party, one year today since Amora had cast a curse on her. Loki had wanted to call off the wedding, but Darcy, determined not to let fear hold her back, convinced him to proceed as planned. He had also briefly considered getting rid of all sharp objects in the kingdom until after the wedding night, but realizing the folly of this plan, he had instead made Darcy promise that after the wedding, she wouldn’t go anywhere without himself, Thor, Sif, or one of the Warriors Three.

Frigga had promised at the engagement party that she would give Darcy a gift that would help with Amora’s spell, but Darcy still didn’t know what it was – Frigga had said she would give it to her after the wedding vows had been taken.

“Stop pacing, Darcy,” Jane said, trying to straighten Darcy’s veil. Darcy finally stopped, instead looking at her reflection. She had never looked so beautiful in her life – her hair and makeup were perfect and her wedding dress, which fit her like a glove, was stunning. She felt like a princess – which, shortly enough, she would be.

“You look beautiful,” Jane said as she wrapped her arms around Darcy, hugging her tightly.

“Thank you,” Darcy said, “I should be happy, but I’m nervous, instead…you know what is supposed to happen tonight.”

“Yes, I know,” Jane said, stepping back as Darcy turned to face her. She smiled reassuringly as she wiped away the tears that had begun to gather at the corner of Darcy’s eyes.  
  
“You’re going to be the wife of one of the most powerful sorcerers in the nine realms, Darcy,” she said, “Loki would die before he let anything happen to you.”

A knock sounded at the door.

“It’s time,” Jane said, nudging Darcy towards the door.  
________________________________________  
The great hall was packed, everyone in the kingdom gathering to celebrate the occasion. Thor stood in front of the throne, while Jane and Frigga stood on the steps to his right. Loki, dressed in his full armor (complete with horned helmet) stood in front of Thor, facing the entrance. His face broke into a wide and genuine smile as he saw Darcy move into the doorway.

Darcy smiled back, then took a deep breath and stepped forward as “Here Comes the Bride” began to play. When she reached Loki he stepped forward and took her hand, guiding her up the remaining steps. The couple turned towards Thor, and the ceremony began.

The ceremony was a mixture of Asgardian and Midgardian traditions – Darcy and Loki would be married by the King of Asgard, Thor, in the traditional hand fasting ceremony, but they would also exchange vows and rings.

Darcy couldn’t take her eyes off of Loki’s as Thor spoke – she couldn’t believe this was real, that it was really happening. She apparently said the right things at right time, because before she knew it, their hands had been tied together with an emerald (of course) ribbon, and Loki was using his other hand to slip a ring onto her finger.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife…you may kiss the bride,” Thor said, beaming with joy.

Loki kissed Darcy, his lips lingering on hers just slightly longer than was proper. He broke off the kiss when Thor cleared his throat, and after glaring at Thor, he and Darcy turned around, raising their joined hands up in the air. The crowd clapped and cheered.

“Now, we feast to honor Prince Loki and Princess Darcy!!” Thor said. The crowd cheered again, then began to disperse until only the newlyweds, Jane, Thor, and Frigga were left in the room.

Frigga walked up to Darcy, her hands clasped in front of her.

“My gift,” she said, opening her hands and revealing a golden apple, “Eternal life. If Amora’s curse does come true, you will not die – instead, you will fall into a deep sleep, to be awoken by true love’s kiss.”

Darcy took the apple from Frigga’s hands. She looked at it for a moment, then bit into it again and again until it was gone. She swayed on her feet, gasping in pain – she felt as if her internal organs were rearranging themselves. Loki reached out and steadied her.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“I’ve never been better,” Darcy answered as the feeling passed, smiling at him, “Although…now that you mention it, I am kind of hungry.”

Loki laughed, then took her hand. “We’d better take care of that then – I know how you get when you don’t eat.”

“Wait,” Darcy said. She let go of Loki’s hand and walked over to Frigga, hugging her.

“Thank you,” she whispered in Frigga’s ear.

Frigga hugged her back, whispering, “It’s the least I could do – after all, you did give me my son back.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding night...

The next few hours passed by without incident. The wedding feast was loud and full of laughter as the well-wishers ate and drank - tables spread around the room groaned under the weight of the food on them, and alcohol flowed freely.

Darcy smiled as she watched everything from the main table. The dread in her stomach was gone now, and she finally felt as happy as she should have been all day – although that might have something to do with the mead she had drank, as well. She winced and shifted uncomfortably – maybe she shouldn’t have drunk so much, she really needed to go to the bathroom. She looked around, but didn’t see any of her escorts nearby. Loki was there, but he was deep in conversation with Frigga, and Darcy didn’t want to interrupt him for something so trivial.

Darcy decided to take her chances. She would only be a minute, and the bathroom was right down the hallway – what could possibly happen? She took one last look to see if anyone was watching her, then quickly moved out of the ballroom and down the hall.

She stopped as she moved by one of the open archways, looking out into the night. A green light flickered in the distance. It was so pretty…she suddenly felt a strong compulsion to go to the light and stepped through the archway, making her way towards it in the darkness. She had a vague feeling that this was wrong, that she shouldn’t be doing this, but she couldn’t bring herself to care enough to stop it. 

She ended up at the south tower, which was Loki’s refuge. It was not uncommon for him to spend many hours there, devising new spells and improving old ones, or avoiding everyone when he just needed a break. Darcy opened the door and began to walk up the stairs towards the light, which grew brighter the higher she went.

Amora was waiting for her in the room at the top of the stairs, a wide grin on her face. She held a dagger in her hand, the point gleaming wickedly in the moon light streaming through the tower’s only window.

“Touch the dagger. Touch it!” Amora said.

Darcy moved closer. She paused for a moment, struggling to regain control, but she still reached out for the dagger, touching the point. She gasped as it pricked her, a single drop of blood gathering on the tip of her finger. She felt Amora’s spell lift, and looked at the sorceress in horror, but it was too late. The drop of blood fell to the ground…and so did she.  
________________________________________  
Loki couldn’t find Darcy anywhere. He had only taken his eyes off of her for a second to speak to Frigga about Amora; he had thought she would have the good sense to stay put and not wander off, but he had forgotten who he was dealing with. He loved Darcy more than anything, but she had a penchant for getting herself in trouble.

“Thor! Have you seen Darcy?” he asked as he walked up to his brother, who was standing next to one of the banquet tables with Jane, Sif and the Warriors Three.

“No,” Thor said, concerned. Loki looked at the others, but they all shook their heads – no one had seen her. 

Frustrated, Loki took another look around the room, his eyes brightening as he saw Heimdall, who must have been granted a respite from his post for the celebration. If someone tried to access the BiFrost, it would only take him a matter of seconds to return.

Loki grabbed Thor’s arm and pulled him towards the gatekeeper. 

“Heimdall!” Loki said, “Where is Darcy?”

Heimdall’s eyes unfocused for a minute as he searched for Darcy, then he straightened as she answered, “The princess is in the south tower.”

Loki turned and walked rapidly out of the room, Thor falling into step beside him. 

“Beware, Prince Loki…the Enchantress is with her,” Heimdall called out. 

Thor had already begun to spin Mjolnir in the air as the gatekeeper finished. He grabbed Loki and flew up into the air towards the tower. He tried to enter through the window at the top, but hit an invisible barrier. 

“She has a shield up,” Loki said, “We are going to have to do this the hard way.”

Thor set them down in front of the door, which was already open. Thor and Loki entered the building, then ran up the stairs of the tower, Loki shouting Darcy’s name as they went up. 

Loki burst into the main room, his hand up in preparation for casting a spell. Thor was right behind him, Mjolnir at the ready. 

Amora stood in the center of the room, a smug grin on her face.

“You poor, simple fools,” she said, “Thinking you could defeat me! The Enchantress! Well here’s your precious princess!”

Amora stepped aside, sweeping back her cape to reveal Darcy, who lay on her back with her arms crossed over her chest, pale and still as if in death.

Amora began to laugh as she saw the anguish on Loki’s face, but stopped suddenly, looking at the prone body of the princess. Her eye had been caught by the slight rise and fall of Darcy’s chest.

Her green eyes burned with both anger and hatred as she looked from Darcy to Loki. 

“What matter of trickery is this?” she asked, “She still lives!”

“Idunn’s apples,” Amora muttered, answering her own question, “I should have known.”

She looked at Loki and Thor, her lips moving. Loki began to cast a counter spell, but before he could finish, he felt the telltale tug in his belly that signaled teleportation.

“NO!” he shouted. 

He and Thor were once again at the foot of the tower. He ran towards the door, ready to charge back into battle, but was thrown back as green light began to surround the tower. He was forced to watch helplessly as a forest of razor-sharp thorns grew in front of and up the tower; the entire structure and immediate area were covered in a matter of seconds.

Amora appeared next to him. He made to lunge at her, but she raised a hand, and he ran into an invisible wall as she threw up another shield.

“You may have won this round, Loki, but you have lost the battle – the princess still lives, but you will never see her again,” she said.

She gestured at the vines on the tower as she continued, “No weapon or spell can penetrate these vines. No creature can climb the walls. She is lost to you.”

Amora disappeared in a flash of green fire. 

“I promise you, brother, we will find a way to end this curse and free Darcy,” Thor said.

Loki didn’t respond.  
________________________________________  
All of Asgard mourned the loss of the princess, but none more than Loki. He was like a man possessed – he didn’t eat, he didn’t sleep, he only worked on breaching the tower’s defenses by any means. He tried spell after spell each day, and he, Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three tried weapon after weapon; nothing even came close to penetrating the thorn forest.

Odin woke up from his Odin Sleep almost ten years after Loki and Darcy’s wedding, but even he, with all of his power and Gungnir, could not break Amora’s enchantment.

When Loki finally realized he wasn’t going to be able to break the enchantment using traditional means, he decided to go straight to the source – he was hoping he would have more luck than Thor, who had been trying to find Amora even as he juggled the duties as King of Asgard (a title he had retained even after Odin returned) and a father (He and Jane had a daughter, with another child due any day). He searched for her in every realm, every barren moon, every crevice, but she was nowhere to be found – it was as if she had ceased to exist.

Years passed, and Darcy became a memory for the people of Asgard, who had moved on to celebrating Thor and Jane’s children, the waking of Odin from the Odin Sleep, etc. – but Loki would never forget, and would never stop until he broke the enchantment and rescued her.  
________________________________________  
Every night, no matter what he was doing, Loki made his way to the Observatory. 

Every night, Loki asked the same question. 

“Heimdall, can you see her?”

Every night, Heimdall gave the same answer, his voice filled with sadness. 

“Yes…she still sleeps.”


End file.
